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A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed January 6 defendant Ray Epps’ year-long defamation lawsuit against Fox News, ruling that Epps failed to “state a claim.”
Epps, who some conservatives had speculated was an undercover FBI agent sent by the bureau to stoke the January 6 riot in 2021, filed the lawsuit last year, claiming that an indictment from the Justice Department might not have surfaced against him if it wasn’t for Fox’s coverage.
The January 6 defendant also argued that Fox News and former host Tucker Carlson engaged in a “years-long campaign spreading falsehoods about Epps.” Those falsehoods, the original complaint alleged, had destroyed the lives of Epps and his wife, per NBC News.
U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Hall on Wednesday agreed with Fox News’ argument that Epps failed to “state a claim.”
Fox told CNN it was “pleased” with the judge’s decision, stating that the ruling, along with other rulings in recent cases against the company, were “preserving the press freedoms of the First Amendment.”
Epps was sentenced in January to one-year probation for his participation in the riot, after pleading guilty to a single charge of engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
The FBI has denied any ties to Epps, stating that he has never been an asset of the bureau.
Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.